$100K saga damaged Ghana – Ablakwa

North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has told the five-member committee hearing the case in which expatriate businessmen allegedly paid $100,000 to sit close to the president at an awards ceremony late last year that the incident brought international shame to the country.

“We need to learn lessons, we need to make far-reaching recommendations so that whatever agreement they have with the Ministry of Trade and Industry when they organise the next event, they can stay away from all of these matters which really have brought all of us embarrassment and have damaged the image of the country and democracy.

“I was sad reading on the BBC when they said that the most expensive seat in the world is located in Ghana and we are being ridiculed all over. I really felt sad as a Ghanaian and Mr Chairman I hope that we will ensure that we nip all of these things in the bud and prevent the next one from bringing all of these upon our country,” he said on Thursday, 11 January.

Mr Ablakwa further said that charging expatriate businessmen in relation to the case under probe cannot be justified in any way.

According to him, there is everything wrong with that unacceptable arrangement.

“The fundamental issue has to do with whether it is appropriate, whether it is moral, whether it is ethical, whether it is legal for access to our president His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to be offered to the highest bidder.

“It is my contention that you cannot sell the prestige of the Office of the President, you cannot say that you are organising an award and that if you pay $100,000 or $75,000 you will be guaranteed access to the president first by sitting by him and secondly by having an exclusive private dinner with the president.

“It is my considered view that there is everything wrong with this arrangement, it is not appropriate, it cannot be justified in anyway,” he told the committee.